Homeschooling in California

WE ARE NOT A CHARTER SCHOOL!

HomeLife Academy is a private school serving homeschool families all over the U.S. Families in California are able to establish their OWN private school and therefore will not use HLA for legal covering purposes; however, HLA offers services that stand alone to provide families with academic counseling and homeschool support, high school planning and official transcripts and diplomas that have been accepted at colleges in the U.S. and abroad.

There are a variety of ways to homeschool legally in California:

Establish a home-based private school.

Enroll in a private school satellite program.

Enroll in a charter school program (students considered public school students).

Enroll in a public school independent study program.

Use a certified teacher as a tutor.

If you are homeschooling in California, you may be aware of the recent changes to immunization requirements. All schools require immunization records; public, private, and charter. There is only one option for parents not wanting to immunize their students and that is to become your own private school and homeschool.

Establishing your own private school meets the requirements to homeschool in California and also gives parents their right to choose regarding immunizations. There are a few common concerns that parents have with establishing their legal covering.

1. FEAR Parents are worried that they will not do something right when filing their Private School Affidavit or that they will be on their own if they have questions.

Solution: HLA will guide you through the process of establishing your private school and filling out the Private School Affidavit. You will feel confident that you are covered.

2. SUPPORT Parents are concerned that establishing their own private school will leave them on their own. They would not have a support system. They would not have counseling, high school planning, and record-keeping.

Solution: This is what HLA does best…service and support! We are with you every step of the way. We have a full staff that offers academic counseling and homeschool support. You have your own fully-staffed private school at your fingertips. You can login to myHLA anytime and request documents, or a counselor call.

Best of all is our high school program. We have tools for high school planning customized to meet the goals of your student who can choose from four different paths of study. Annual transcript reviews allow you to feel confident your student is on track for graduation. Official transcripts and diplomas that are accepted all across the U.S. and abroad.

3. INSTRUCTION Some parents, especially those that may be new to homeschooling, feel unprepared and unequipped. You may not know how to get started, what to use, how to teach.

Solution: HLA’s mission is to INSPIRE and EQUIP parents with the tools they need to succeed. Our experienced counselors work with you to help curriculum and make a plan. And if you are looking for an all-in-one solution, check our HLA Archway Online where you will find a complete online curriculum that your student can begin right away. There are options available that will provide a teacher’s assistant or a tutor to you, the parent to assist with grading, answering questions and/or tutoring in subjects such as Math or Science.

Homeschooling in California

Summary of Requirements:

File your Private School Affidavit to establish your private school OR enroll with a local charter school or private school satellite program (PSP) by the time school begins in your area.

Must be registered between the ages of six (6) and eighteen (18). It is recommended that you register for the school year in which your child will be turning six (6).

175 Days of Attendance (recommended but exempt as private school)

Meet the requirements i.e. testing, reporting, etc. of the private school (PSP) or charter school with which you are registered. If registered with HomeLife Academy you would still meet our requirements but not for compulsory attendance purposes.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

NO, registering with HLA does not meet the requirements of homeschooling in California. There are three options: Home-based Private School (YOU are the private school – no immunization requirement), Private Satellite School (LOCAL private school – immunizations required), or Private Tutor (Certified Teacher – immunizations may be required) HLA can help you establish your legal covering by filing the Private School Affidavit.

Withdrawing from your school is simple. Once you register with HLA, we will send a notice and request for records to your current school. This notifies them of your withdrawal and prompts them to forward your records to HLA. In most cases, you will need to do nothing further. You may be asked to sign a Notice of Withdrawal and this should be of no concern to you. It is generally a formality in the school/county process.

YES! Your students can be enrolled in your California private school and registered with HLA as an out-of-state school and in doing so can earn an HLA diploma when HLA graduation requirements have been met! Do keep in mind that it is always important to see what the colleges and universities, as well as tech schools, that you may plan to attend may require. Often there could be variances or other coursework required depending on your goals. Here is the State of California Graduation Requirements along with UC and CSU requirements for reference.